Villopoto Grabs The Win In AMA Supercross Lites

Villopoto Grabs The Win In AMA Supercross Lites

DETROIT (April 12, 2008) – Red Bull Honda’s Davi Millsaps picked up his second win of the season at tonight’s Monster Energy® AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, at Ford Field. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto, of Poulsbo, Wash., won the AMA Supercross Lites class main event win.

Honda’s Eric Sorby, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., won the $1,500 Progressive Holeshot Award to begin the 20-lap AMA Supercross class main event. Millsaps closed in on Sorby and took over the lead on the second lap, bringing Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Timmy Ferry and Torco Honda’s Kevin Windham with him to round out the top three.

Millsaps turned in a strong, consistent ride to lead the remaining 18 laps en route to the victory. Ferry held on to finish second with Windham winding up in third.

“I found some really good lines in practice and got a good start in the main and took care of the rest,” said Millsaps. “I got caught up in lappers but ended up fighting through. It was unfortunate what happened to Chad today but I felt like I rode a good race and really earned it tonight.”

The subplot of the entire day was the misfortune of points leader and eight-time winner Chad Reed. The San Manuel of Mission Indians Yamaha rider suffered a hard crash in practice, sending him to the hospital for multiple injuries to his chest and shoulder. Reed was released from the hospital and would use an AMA Provisional, which allows for a rider within the top 10 in points to advance directly to the main, where he would eventually finish in 12th place.

Reed’s injury has drastically tightened the points chase in the AMA Supercross class, with Windham now sitting just 16 points back with three races remaining.

“It will be interesting to see how Chad bounces back from his injury,” said Windham. “It should be an interesting finish in the series. Today was really an emotional roller coaster for me. I came in here 27 points back and after his crash in the first practice it really pulled a 180 for me, and the season.

“Chad has got a lot of adversity in front of him right now. He has won a championship before so he knows what he’s got to do to get it done. I’ve never won one and I’ll be looking to do what I need to do to get my first.”

Villopoto grabbed the $1,000 Progressive Direct Holeshot Award to start the 15-lap AMA Supercross Lites main event. Torco Honda’s Trey Canard, of Elk City, Okla., and Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s local rider Nico Izzi, of St. Clair, Mich., settled into the second and third positions.

Villopoto, winner of the previous two main events leading into Detroit, quickly checked out and rode a near flawless race to earn his third victory of the season. Boost Yamaha’s Ryan Morais, of Murrieta, Calif., finished second while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Brendan Jesseman, of New Brighton, Pa., was third.

Villopoto’s win coupled with a 10th-place finish for Canard, who crashed on lap seven and had a difficult time restarting his bike, has reduced Canard’s lead to three points in the Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites standings with one race remaining.

“I got off to a bad start this year and put myself in a hole out of the gate,” said Villopoto. “I came around there and saw that (Canard) was down. It was definitely what I needed and it’s good to be down just three points down with one race to go.”

The AMA Supercross class will be broadcast in HD on SPEED on Sunday, April 13, at 6 p.m. EST and the AMA Supercross Lites class will air on SPEED in HD Saturday April 19, at 6 p.m. EST.

AMA Supercross Class Results, Detroit

1. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda
2. Tim Ferry, Dade City, Fla., Kawasaki
3. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda
4. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha
5. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda
6. Travis Preston, Hesperia, Calif., Kawasaki
7. David Vuillemin, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki
8. Charles Summey, Huntersville, N.C., Yamaha
9. Heath Voss, Mico, Texas, Honda
10. Jason Thomas, Melrose, Fla., Honda

AMA Supercross Class Season Standings

1. Chad Reed, Tampa, Fla., Yamaha, 296
2. Kevin Windham, Centreville, Miss., Honda, 280
3. Davi Millsaps, Cairo, Ga., Honda, 229
4. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 221
5. Joshua Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 191
6. Tim Ferry, Largo, Fla., Kawasaki, 189
7. Nathan Ramsey, Menifee, Calif., Yamaha, 155
8. David Vuillemin, Murrieta, Calif., Suzuki, 137
9. Paul Carpenter, Ithaca, N.Y., Honda, 123
10. Nick Wey, Dewitt, Mich., KTM, 121

AMA Supercross Lites Class Results, Detroit

1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
3. Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Kawasaki
4. Nico Izzi, Saint Clair., Mich., Suzuki
5. Matt Goerke, Lake Helen, Fla., KTM
6. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ken., Yamaha
7. Kyle Partridge, Menifee, Calif., Honda
8. Kyle Chisholm, Seminole, Fla., Kawasaki
9. Travis Sewell, Westville, Ind., Suzuki
10. Trey Canard, Elk City, Okla., Honda

Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Season Standings

1. Trey Canard, Elk City, Okla., Honda, 122
2. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 119
3. Nico Izzi, Saint Clair., Mich., Suzuki, 86
4. Tyler Bowers, Danville, Ken., Yamaha, 76
5. Martin Davalos, Cairo, Ga., KTM, 73
6. Branden Jesseman, New Brighton, Pa., Kawasaki, 72
7. Josh Grant, Riverside, Calif., Honda, 71
8. Ryan Sipes, Vine Grove, Ken., KTM, 70
9. Ryan Morais, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 68
10. Billy Payne, Simi Valley, Calif., Honda, 60

Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Season Standings

1. Jason Lawrence, Carlsbad, Calif., Yamaha, 135
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 129
3. Austin Stroupe, Corona, Calif., Kawasaki, 113
4. Brett Metcalfe, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 112
5. Tommy Hahn, Alvord, Texas, Kawasaki, 101
6. Dan Reardon, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 95
7. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., KTM, 85
8. Robert Kiniry, LaFayette, N.Y., Kawasaki, 71
9. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Yamaha, 69
10. Billy Laninovich, Lake Elsinore, Calif., KTM 62

KTM Junior Supercross Challenge

1. Jase Burke, Maricopa, Calif., KTM
2. Kannon Lenar, Glendale, Ore., KTM
3. Seth Cantarini, Bellevue, Wash., KTM
4. Zachary Kirchoff, Decker, Ind., KTM
5. Samuel Davis, Grayling, Mich., KTM
6. Kody Herber, Linwood, Mich., KTM
7. Chase VanSickle, Fremont, Mich., KTM
8. Tyler Buckman, Robards, Ky., KTM
9. Brant Gullickson, Chamberlain, S.D., KTM
10. Dalton Tarter, Tuolumne, Calif., KTM
11. Max Soulliere, Dewitt, Mich., KTM
12. Spencer Goad, Northwood, N.H., KTM
13. Brenden Korte, Suffolk, Va., KTM
14. Adam Powers, Rockford, Mich., KTM
15. Nycholas Burnside, Parry Sound, Canada, KTM

The next Monster Energy® Supercross race takes place at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis on Saturday, April 19.